


What Happens After

by MasterOverlordKai



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Brett and Lori live, Mostly Canon Compliant, Multi, Set after 6B finale, because I said so
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-03-09 18:22:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13487109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MasterOverlordKai/pseuds/MasterOverlordKai
Summary: Theo is trying to get his life on the mend. He’s trying to be a better person - not a good person, because he can never be truly good, but better. Because he wants to be better. For himself, for the McCall pack... for Liam.But to do that, he needs to prove himself. And what better way to do that, than to move in with the two most zen werewolves he’s ever met in his life? It’ll take some getting used to, but he can make this work. He will make this work.Why? Because he has to.((Or, an alternate ending where Scott sends Theo to live with Brett and Lori and Theo transcends to a new plane of existence because he’s never met anyone so nice in his life and maybe they start to rub off on him a little. Maybe. Probably not. Also Thiam.))





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo this is a new one! Don’t worry, I will still be posting in BHCR every other week, but I had this idea and just had to roll with it. Also, Brett and Lori deserved better. That is all.

Theo was good at disappearing. If he didn’t want anyone to know where he was, they wouldn’t know. That was how he was able to stay in Beacon Hills for so long without the pack knowing. He was able to stay off their radar while still being around, and it was even easier to do so after Stiles had left for FBI training or whatever - he honestly didn’t care. But now - now they knew he was there, in Beacon Hills. He hadn’t left, he hadn’t run. He had stayed in this godforsaken town for reasons he wasn’t willing to admit even to himself, and now the pack was aware of it and were definitely going to throw him out and leave him for dead.

That’s what he would do, anyway.

So, by the time Scott, Liam, and the others got back from wherever the hell they had gone, Theo had already gathered what few possessions he had, a small supply of food, and some toiletries, and was ready to leave when Scott told him - forced him to. When he saw the kid that was with them, another werewolf, he was annoyed. The kid looked equal parts thrilled and terrified, and he smelled like Pack. Like Scott’s pack. This kid, who they didn’t know, who could turn out to be a killer just like him, who they had found wandering the streets like a lost puppy - they just accepted him into the pack without a second thought, whereas Theo had proven, time and again since he’d gotten out of hell, that he was changed - maybe not into a good person, but he definitely wasn’t evil anymore, either. He thought...

And what a stupid thought that was.

Theo hated himself for feeling the way he did. After everything that had happened, he should have known better. And it was all Liam's fault, really. Liam was the one that smiled at him, that fought with him, that cheered for him and touched him and cried for him when no one else did. But most of all, Liam had given him hope - hope that maybe, just maybe, Theo had found a place to belong, a place to call home.

It hurt to be proven otherwise.

After introductions were made - the kid's name was Alec, not that Theo cared - Scott turned to Theo and looked at him pensively, as if trying to decide which garbage heap to throw him in and leave him for dead. Theo sighed, resigned, and got up to get in his truck and drive as far away as he could with the gas he had in the tank. Maybe he could make it to Las Vegas, try and get some money to live off of before he got a real job and shit. He could probably scrounge together some fake documents from somewhere, make a new name for himself and, if he was lucky, maybe even a new life.

"Theo," Scott called out to him just as he reached the door.

"Don’t worry, McCall, I’m not going on a murder spree," Theo said, rolling his eyes.

"Where are you going?" Malia asked suspiciously. She was smart to not trust him anymore. She was smart to hate him. All of them were.

"Vegas," Theo replied with a shrug.

"No," Scott replied, frowning. "I don’t trust you out there."

Theo rolled his eyes, growling softly. "You don’t trust me here, you don’t trust me there, do you trust me anywhere, Dr. Seuss?"

"I trust you in a grave," Malia snarled.

Theo opened his arms. "Then please, by all means, go ahead. Down there is better than up here."

Malia stepped forward, but Scott put out a hand to stop her. It was silent for a long moment, the three of them caught in some kind of staring contest, when someone spoke up.

"Who the hell even is this guy?"

Theo turned to see two werewolves standing in the corner of the room, a guy and a girl about Liam's age. They smelled similar, probably siblings if Theo had to guess. The guy was tall, with dark hair and handsome features, and the girl was short with blonde hair and pretty eyes.

"Brett, Lori, this is Theo," Liam said with a sigh. "Last year he tried to get me to kill Scott, then he killed Scott and tried to kill the rest of us, but then we put him in hell."

Brett and Lori turned their heads in sync to look at Theo. It freaked him the fuck out. "So what’s he doing topside?" Brett asked.

"I let him out to help with the Wild Hunt," Liam admitted sheepishly.

"And you didn’t put him back?" Lori inquired, her question less malicious and more curious in intent.

"I made them destroy the sword that could put me back before I would help them," Theo explained tightly. "Now that we’re done rehashing that open wound, can I please just go? Since you obviously don’t want me here."

"I already said no," Scott said firmly. "I don’t trust you out there."

"Then what do you want me to do, Scott?" Theo demanded loudly, throwing his arms up in the air. "You want me to die? Fine! Then kill me! Otherwise tell me where you want me, and I’ll go there."

"I can take him," Derek said, tilting his head as he eyed Theo calculatingly.

"Uh, yeah, that’s a no," Stiles retorted immediately.

Theo raked his fingers through his hair and growled. He hated this - having them stand there and decide his fate for him. It was humiliating, degrading, disgusting.

"We'll take him."

"What?" several voices - including Theo's - said at once, all turning to Brett and Lori, who were staring at Theo.

"We said we’ll take him," Lori repeated, crossing the room to stand next to Theo. She looked him up and down. "We have enough room, and if he tries anything Brett can kick his ass and bring him back for you to deal with. Until then, he’s our problem."

Theo glared at the girl and snarled, but Brett put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, warning him to watch himself. Theo shrugged him off and stepped away from the siblings. "You know, I’m not too fond of people deciding my fate for me. Shouldn’t I get a say in this?"

"No," everyone said at once, and Theo sighed.

"Fine. Would it make you guys feel better?" he asked, feeling like a child convincing to his parents to let him leave the house.

Scott still looked skeptical, but Liam spoke up before he could say anything. "I trust them, Scott. They can handle it."

"I say go for it," Malia said. "As long as he stays as far away from here as possible."

"What about school?" Scott asked. "Who would watch him during the day?"

"I could get a job," Theo said, as if it were obvious. "I need money, don’t I?"

"Dad did say that the station's janitor retired last month and they’re looking for a replacement," Stiles said thoughtfully. He pulled out his phone. "Be right back."

"I actually kind of like the idea of him cleaning toilets every day," Lydia said with an angelic smile, and Theo could have happily strangled her.

"So the Sheriff can keep an eye on you during the day, and Brett and Lori will make sure you don’t try to pull anything at night," Liam said. He seemed satisfied with this solution. "Sounds good to me."

"Then it’s settled," Stiles said, coming back into the room a moment later. "Dad said you’re hired, and you start tomorrow."

"Great," Theo said sarcastically. "Thank you all, so much, for deciding my future for me. Really appreciate it."

"At least we’re letting you have a future," Malia snarled. "If it were up to me, you’d be six feet in the ground right now."

"So you’ve mentioned. A thousand times." Theo rolled his eyes. "Look, can we just go now?"

"Sure," Brett said, pulling his keys from his pocket. "We'll stop at wherever you’re staying to get your stuff."

"No need," Theo muttered, pulling out his own keys. "I’ve already got all of it."

Brett nodded. "Kay. Lori, you ready?"

Lori darted over and kissed Liam, Mason, and Corey on the cheek. "Yep, ready," she said, joining her brother's side once more. "See you guys later."

"Bye," the three echoed, waving them off.

"So how long were you sleeping in your truck?" Brett asked once they were outside.

Theo turned sharply and glared at him, growling. "None of your damn business."

Brett held his hands up. "Alright alright, geez. Just follow me, then. Don’t lose sight of us, or else you’ll get lost."  
"I think I’ll be fine," Theo said, getting into his truck and slamming the door. He ran his fingers through his hair and took several deep breaths. He had no idea what he was going to do. This was new territory, something he’d never experienced before. He didn’t have a tactic, didn’t have a plan. He didn’t have anything except the shit in his truck and the bright red taillights in front of him.

And he was fucking terrified.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brett and Lori are... different. Theo isn’t sure whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back with another chapter! I literally just wrote this while on a 4+ hour car ride. I hope you enjoy!

The thing about Brett and Lori was that they were really fucking weird. Theo found this out approximately two seconds after setting foot in their cabin. And it wasn’t even in a bad way. It was just... really, really weird.

There was a lot of art on the walls. Canvases splattered with brightly colored paint hung on one wall, another held startlingly realistic scenery profiles from places there in Beacon Hills, and places Theo had never seen before. They were all beautiful, even though they weren’t really Theo's style. He wasn’t a big art person, but he appreciated beauty when he saw it.

"Did you paint those?" Theo asked, pointing to the scenic portraits.

"I did," Lori said, shoving her hands into her pockets. She jerked her head towards the abstract ones. "Brett did those."

Theo nodded appreciatively. He tilted his head. "They look... angry."

Brett shrugged. "Some of them are. That one there," he pointed to a large painting over the fireplace, a portrait of Buddha, "we did it together."

"It’s nice," Theo said politely. "You guys are Buddhists?"

Brett and Lori exchanged a look. "Let’s save the questions for after you get settled in," Lori said with a sweet smile. "Brett will show you your room. I’ll get dinner started. You like hamburger steaks?"

"Never had it," Theo said with a shrug. Both Brett and Lori looked personally offended by his answer. "The Dread Doctors didn’t exactly care about giving us good food. They just wanted us alive and healthy enough to experiment on. So no, I’ve never had hamburger steak."

"That’s just straight cruel," Lori said, shaking her head. "I’ll make you a double portion. Go put your stuff in your room." With that, she went into what Theo assumed was the kitchen, leaving Brett and him alone in the living room.

"Cmon, your room's this way." Brett motioned for Theo to follow him and started down a hallway.

The room was fairly small, with a nice size bed in the center and a dresser for clothes in the corner. There was a window that let in quite a bit of natural light, and a lamp on a bedside table that provided what the window couldn’t. Theo noticed the bed was bare of sheets or blankets.

"It’s all in the dresser," Brett said, as if sending Theo's thoughts. "I’ll help you make up the bed if you need me to."

Theo glared at him. "I think I’ll be fine. Shouldn’t you be more worried about barring the windows or something?"

Brett scoffed. "Why? It’s not like you’re going to leave."

"I might," Theo challenged. "I could crawl out as soon as you leave, and be miles away before you even realized."

Brett stared at him for a long time. Not mocking, not accusing, just... calculating. Then, just as Theo was starting to get uncomfortable, he spoke. "If you did leave," he said slowly, "where would you go?"

He didn’t mean the question to be rude, but Theo still felt a stab of pain in his chest. It was uncomfortably familiar to his sister ripping his heart out. "That’s none of your concern," he growled. "And even if it was, why would I tell you?"

Seeming to realize he’d hit a sore spot, Brett raised his hands in a gesture of peace. "Okay. I’ll give you some time to get settled in, and I’ll let you know when supper's ready, okay?"

Theo didn’t answer, he just turned away and faced the window. He stayed that way until Brett left, then let out a heavy sigh. He went over to the bed and fell onto the bare mattress, staring up at the ceiling. Tears pricked at his eyes, but he blinked them away. He brought a hand up and rubbed at his chest, right over his heart. "It’s okay," he whispered, closing his eyes. Images of his sister flashed behind his eyelids, coming towards him, crawling over him, ripping his heart out, over and over and over and-

"You don’t have to stop."

~~~~~~~~~~

Theo could feel Brett and Lori's eyes on him, but he didn’t pay any mind to them as he shoveled bite after bite of pure heaven into his mouth. He hadn’t been lying when he said he’d never had hamburger steak, and now his tastebuds were both mourning the previous loss and tingling with how delicious it was.

"You shouldn’t eat so fast," Lori sounded amused as she watched him eat. "You’ll make yourself sick."

"Don’t care," Theo muttered between bites. "What’s in this?"

"Ground beef with an egg, bread crumbs, some dry ranch seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce, cooked like steak and topped with A1 sauce," Brett replied. "It’s Lori's best dish."

"That’s what he says anyway," Lori shrugged, but her cheeks were pink. "I like Brett's chicken pasta, myself."

Theo nodded as he finished the last bite of his steak. He looked up, and blinked in surprise when he saw Lori already fixing another. "You must be hungry," she commented with a small laugh.

"I don’t remember the last time I had an actual meal." For months now, ever since the Wild Hunt ended, he’d been living off of snack foods from gas stations and any animal he could hunt and kill while in wolf form. It didn’t bother him, but after living that way for so long, he’d forgotten what it felt like to be full.

A sharp scent pierced the air, and he looked up to see both Brett and Lori scowling. "So you’ve been living in your truck and eating the equivalent of garbage for months and no one's noticed or offered to help you?" Lori demanded.

Theo scoffed. "Why would they? I tried to kill them."

"Do you still want to kill them?" Brett asked.

"Of course not." The thought of any of them dying now... it made Theo sick to his stomach. He put his fork down. "But it’s not like they’d trust me if I told them that. Malia wants me dead, I’m not sure what Stiles thinks of me, and the others don’t trust a word that comes out of my mouth."

"That’s bullshit."

"It’s fair," Theo countered. "I don’t deserve their trust, not after everything I did." That was something he realized pretty soon after the Wild Hunt ordeal. It was one of the reasons he didn’t stick around so they could kill him once it was over.

The other reason was Liam, but he didn’t want to go down that train of thought.

"Well, I trust you," Lori said matter-of-factly, smiling brightly at him.

"You don’t know me," Theo said. "I could kill you both in your sleep tonight for all you know."

Brett and Lori both laughed. "He’s cute," Lori commented to Brett, who nodded in agreement.

"I’m serious," Theo said.

"So are we," Brett shrugged. "Look, whatever you did before, it doesn’t define you. It’s the choices you make now that determine what kind of person you’ve become. Do you want to kill us?"

"A little, yeah," Theo said incredulously. These two confused the hell out of him.

"Okay," Brett chuckled. "But are you going to?"

A pause. Theo swallowed thickly. No, he wasn’t. He didn’t want to kill them, he didn’t want them to die. It would kill Liam. And they were... they were nice, to Theo of all people. If they could find it in them to be nice to him, they would do great things in this world. And this world needed great things.

"No," he finally answered, his voice softer than he intended.

Brett nodded and Lori grinned. "There you go. We trust you."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that," Lori confirmed. She checked her watch. "It’s getting late. You should get some sleep. Don’t forget - you have work tomorrow, so you should probably set an alarm or something."

Theo nodded, watching as Brett collected the dishes and Lori started putting away leftovers. A warm feeling sparked in his chest, but it fizzled out almost as quickly as it came. He stood and took his plate to the sink, ignoring Brett's friendly smile, and went back to his room - his room, a place that belonged to him. He couldn’t remember ever having that, since the Dread Doctors moved around so much and he was usually in a room with several other people at a time. He’d never had a home, a place to call his. Now he did.

For now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it! I hope you all enjoyed! Thanks so much for reading, and feel free to let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo's first day at work. That’s it. That’s literally all this is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back with a new chapter! Yay!! Hopefully next time I won’t take so long to update lol
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

Theo jerked awake at the sound of a siren screaming in his ear. He thrust his hand out and smacked around until the noise finally ceased, and then took a moment to breathe as his heartrate returned to a healthy speed. As the adrenaline faded, Theo became more aware of his other senses, and frowned. He felt unfamiliar and vaguely uncomfortable, though he couldn’t place why until he opened his eyes.

The room was dimly lit, the sunrise just outside his window being the only source of light in the room. As he laid there, the events of the previous night returned to him, along with the sinking feeling in his gut that never seemed to go the hell away. He remembered how the others spoke about him like he wasn’t even there, deciding his fate like they were sentencing him to death. Although, Theo thought as he dragged himself out of the - extremely comfortable - bed, death wouldn’t have been an entirely unpleasant alternative.

He went through his morning routine both quickly and slowly. He was in a rush because he needed to leave soon in order to get to work on time, but he also couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a real, decent shower, with hot water and actual soap, so if he stayed in the bathroom for longer than necessary - well, who could blame him?

After he got dressed and brushed his teeth and combed his hair, he slipped on his shoes and left the bedroom, heading towards the kitchen in search of breakfast. When he reached the end of the hallway, however, he paused at the sight before him.

Brett and Lori were on the floor, yoga mats underneath them, sitting with their legs crossed lotus-position and their eyes closed. Soft instrumental music played in the background as they took synchronized breaths, releasing them slowly as their entire bodies relaxed. Theo watched them for a moment, debating on whether or not to interrupt, before checking his watch and deciding he didn’t really have time to talk. So, he went to the kitchen and fixed himself a bowl of cereal.

By the time he was done eating, Brett and Lori had joined him. "Morning," Lori greeted him with a smile, apparently unbothered by the fact that she was in nothing but a sports bra and shorts in front of a near-total stranger. "How’d you sleep?"

Theo paused, thinking about it. "Pretty well, I think," he finally said. "Wasn’t woken up in the middle of the night by cops, at least. So that’s a plus."

"Definitely," Brett said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Hey, what are your plans for lunch? Are you going out, or do you need to take something with you?"

Theo didn’t answer at first. He actually hadn’t thought about lunch. When he said as much, he received two unimpressed looks in return. "What? I’m not used to eating breakfast, much less having three square meals a day."

"I’ll make you something," Lori offered, going towards the pantry. "You like turkey sandwiches?"

"I don’t know," Theo replied honestly.

Lori hummed. "I bet you’ll like it. If not, I’ll pack some extra snacks so you don’t go hungry."

That warm feeling from the night before returned, but Theo forcefully shoved it aside. "I don’t need you guys to take care of me," he said, glaring at Brett, who was smirking. "I’m not a child."

"No, but you are a disaster," Brett said with a wink. "Besides, we're not here to treat you like a baby. That wouldn’t be fair to us, or you. But, since you seem to know almost nothing about the real world, we are going to be here to guide you as best as we can."

"Yeah, what he said," Lori added unhelpfully. "Hey, come here for a sec."

Theo obediently got up and put his bowl in the sink before standing at Lori's side to look over her shoulder. He watched as she spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on two slices of bread before adding a generous amount of sliced turkey, folding the two pieces together to make a sandwich. "It’s a little harder than it looks, but you’ll get it after one or two times, I’m sure."

Theo nodded. It actually didn’t look that hard. "You better hope I actually like that stuff."

Lori giggled and patted his cheek. "Everyone likes sliced turkey, honey. They just don’t know it."

"Alright, weirdo, time to get ready for school," Brett said, grabbing his sister by the shoulders and gently pushing her towards the door. "Go get a shower. And don’t use up all the hot water!"

"She sure is something," Theo said after Lori left down the hall.

Brett snorted. "No kidding. Don’t get any ideas, though."

Theo raised his hands in a gesture of peace. "Don’t plan on it. Trust me."

"Oh yeah," Brett drawled, and the smirk returned. "You have a thing for Liam, don’t you."

"I can’t hear you, Brett, I’m too busy leaving for work." Theo grabbed the sack that Lori had put all his lunch stuff in and started for the door. "I’m not sure when I’ll be home."

"Here, give me your phone." Brett caught the device when Theo tossed it to him, and quickly punched in something before throwing it back. "There, now you can text me when you’re on your way."

Theo looked down at the new contact on the screen. The name said "The Sexy One ;)” and Theo couldn’t help but snort. He rolled his eyes and smirked. "Whatever. I’ll see you later, I guess."

"See ya."

~~~~~~~~~~

Working as a janitor actually wasn’t too bad. As soon as he got to the police station, Deputy Parrish led him to the supply closet and gave him a list of chores to be accomplished before the day was over.

"You can even listen to music while you work, if you want," the Deputy suggested lightly as Theo read over the list.

"I don’t have any music," Theo replied absently, biting his lip as he examined each task, calculating how long it would take to complete each one.

"Oh, hang on a sec." Parrish disappeared, then came back a moment later carrying a small device with some wires wrapped around it. "It’s mine, but I don’t use it anymore," he said, giving the device to Theo. "I’m not sure if you’ll like what’s on there, but it’s better than nothing, right?"

Theo examined the small plastic box in his hands with something akin to wonder. It was an old retro iPod, the kind they didn’t make anymore, with a set of plain white earbuds wrapped around it. He turned it on and scrolled through the list of songs, his smile getting wider the farther he went. "No, this is good," he said, looking back up at Parrish. "Thanks."

Parrish blinked a couple times, then cleared his throat. "No problem," he said, clapping Theo on the shoulder. "You better get to work. Sheriff Stilinski doesn’t like slackers."

Theo nodded and Parrish walked off, presumably back to his desk. Theo put the earbuds in his ears and scrolled until he just decided to pick a random song and put the list on shuffle. The familiar guitar opening to Metallica's Enter Sandman filled his ears and he grinned as he got the supplies he’d need to clean the bathrooms.

Two hours later, he’d gone through all of Metallica and had moved on to Queen when the sheriff himself came to check on him. "How’s it coming?" he asked when Theo took out an earbud to hear him.

Theo looked around and sighed. He’d already finished the men's bathroom, and was now almost done with the women's. "Pretty good, I think," he said, scratching the back of his head. "After this I was gonna clean the windows, then maybe wash the cars."

The sheriff nodded. "Good idea. You’re doing pretty good so far, Raeken. I’m impressed."

Theo bit back a triumphant smile. "I appreciate it, sir. Glad I could help."

Stilinski just humed in response. "By the way, you missed a spot." He pointed to a stain on the floor, then winked at Theo and left.

Theo sighed and shook his head, resuming his music and moving the mop over to where the stain was. He’d be lucky if he woke up the next morning with the feeling still left in his arms. Still, it felt kind of nice, having something to do, something to keep him occupied during the day. The music was a big help, as well. If he hadn’t had that, his thoughts would have taken him to some very dark places.

Well... maybe not all dark. A smiling face flashed in his mind, but he quickly banished it. It wasn’t the time to think about that. In fact, he never wanted to go down that particular train of thought, if he could help it. It would only make things complicated, and Theo hated complicated.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Theo got back to work. Work was good, work was simple. He needed simplicity in his life, dammit. Just this once, he needed something simple. And right there, right then, he had it.

Why did he get the feeling things wouldn’t stay that way for long?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go. Whew. Well, stuff is happening. Things are going. Here we go. I hope you all enjoyed! Thanks so much for reading and as always, feel free to let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo has had a long day, and comes home to an unexpected surprise. He can’t decide if it’s a good or bad one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting into a little bit of that Thiam stuff I promised you guys. Just a little bit, though ;)

Liam didn’t come to visit until five weeks after Theo moved in with Brett and Lori. Theo was almost offended; after Liam's insistence that the chimera was his responsibility, and after everything that happened between them during the war, Theo figured he’d at least have the decency to visit every once in a while. Apparently that wasn’t the case, since he hadn’t heard a word from him since the meeting when they decided what to do with him.

Until now, that is.

It had been a long day, and Theo was tired. Some drunk idiot arrested for a DUI had puked all over the bathroom floor and it had taken nearly three hours to get the smell out. Theo still felt nauseas. All he wanted was to take a long, scalding shower and curl up on the couch with a book and a cup of tea - the herbal kind that Brett and Lori had stockpiled for every ailment. He decided he’d try the ginger tea for his stomach this time, since the peppermint didn’t do much last time he’d felt sick.

Having made up his mind, Theo entered the cabin and wiped his feet on the mat. "I’m home," he muttered, but paused when he heard three heartbeats instead of two. One of them was painfully familiar.

"You reek," Lori said as he made his way to the living room. She wrinkled her nose. "Go take a shower."

Theo nodded but didn’t say anything, his eyes trained on Liam Dunbar sitting on their couch (and when had he begun to think of the cabin as "theirs"? He was just here under probation. This wasn’t home). "What’re you doing here?" he asked sluggishly, blinking several times to make sure he wasn’t imagining things.

Liam shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I wanted to check up on you," he said, rubbing his neck - it was a nervous tick he had that Theo had noticed soon after meeting him. "See how you were doing."

"We told you, he’s been fine," Brett said, lounging on the loveseat with his bare feet propped on the coffee table. Theo scowled. He’d just cleaned that yesterday. "A little grouchy, but fine nonetheless. Right, Theo?"

Theo made a noise of agreement and rolled his aching shoulders. "I need a shower. Be out in a minute."

"Don’t use up all the hot water!" Brett called after him, and Theo flipped him off. "See?" he heard Brett tell Liam as he made his way down the hall. "He’s fine."

"I knew he would be," Liam said. "It’s Scott that doesn’t trust him."

The rest of the conversation faded as Theo turned on the water in the shower. While it warmed up, he slowly stripped out of his clothes and tossed them onto the floor beside the laundry hamper (he didn’t want to stink up the other clothes), deciding to do a load of laundry before supper. As Theo turned back around, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

He wasn’t as pale as he used to be. That was the first thing he’d noticed. Brett had roped him into going on a run every morning while Lori cooked breakfast, and the fresh air and sunlight had done him a world of good. His muscles had filled out again, and he found he could go farther and faster each day. Some days he and Brett would shift and chase each other through the woods, playing cat and mouse, but when they did that it was easy to lose track of time, so they saved it for the weekends when Lori could join them and they didn’t have anywhere to be.

The bags under his eyes were gone, too. Insomnia had plagued him the first two weeks, and he had often found himself wandering outside trying to get tired enough to sleep. Some nights he slept outside on the ground, because it was what he was used to - the hard uneven surfaces, the cold air gusting over him as he tried to stay warm - but when that happened, he always found himself in his bed upon waking. Brett never said anything, but he would always give Theo a sympathetic look those mornings and pass him an extra mug of coffee.

Theo took a deep breath and let it out slowly, watching as his chest expanded and then contracted. He nodded at his reflection once and then slipped under the steamy spray of the shower.

As he bathed, Theo hummed a song he’d been listening to earlier on his iPod. It was 'Easy' by the Commodores, a fairly slow song but a good one nonetheless. The lyrics didn’t make much sense, but Theo liked the way the song made him feel, and as he massaged conditioner into his hair, he felt his muscles relax and the tension of the day release from his body.

Brett and Liam were still talking by the time Theo got out of the shower, but Theo didn’t care about what they were saying. He’d been good, so there was nothing to report back to Scott that would make the Alpha want to throw him out of Beacon Hills. That’s what Theo told himself - but the tightness in his chest refused to go away.

Theo slipped into a pair of sweatpants and one of Brett's hoodies (the inside was so incredibly soft and Brett couldn’t wear it anymore so Theo had stolen it the first chance he got) and made his way towards the living room so he could get to the kitchen and make himself some tea.

"Where’s the honey?" he asked as he passed by the three in the living room, running his fingers through his damp hair.

"In the cabinet by the fridge," Lori replied. "Want me to make soup for supper?"

Theo made a pleased rumbling noise in his chest as he started a pot of hot water. Lori's vegetable soup was to die for. She had a little garden in the backyard that she tended to every day, and she used only the best for evening meals. She also liked to season it and make it as flavorful as possible, which Theo appreciated greatly.

"Does that mean Liam and I need to go hunting?" Brett asked, but Lori shook her head.

"I still have some deer from last week in the freezer," she said. "I’ll just use that. You and Theo can go hunting this weekend, though. I’ll make burgers and you can grill."

Brett whooped and pumped his fist. "Yes! I love grilling. Liam, you should come over for food."

"Uh..." Liam looked back and forth among the other three hesitantly. "I don’t know. I’ll probably have a ton of homework."

"Oh, come on, it’ll be fun," Brett insisted. "You can even bring those friends of yours, Mason and Corey. And that new guy, what was his name? The cute one."

"Alec?" Liam asked, raising an eyebrow. "He’s straight, you know."

"No, not him." Brett paused. "Wait, really?"

Liam nodded. "Do you mean Nolan, then?"

"Yes, him," Brett said, his face lighting up. "Bring him. I haven’t had the chance to properly meet him yet."

"There’s probably a reason for that," Theo teased, and Brett flipped him off.

Liam coughed awkwardly. "Yeah, I’ll bring them over if that’s alright. I should get going, though."

"Sure thing." Brett rose to his feet to walk Liam out, like the good host he was. Theo took the pot off the stove and plopped a tea bag into the boiling water, then followed them.

"Did you get everything you needed to tell Scott?" he asked, and there was an underlying tone of bitterness in his voice.  
Liam nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. Theo's eyes tracked the movement. "I’m really sorry," the werewolf blurted, his face turning an embarrassing shade of red.

Theo blinked. "For what?"

"Them not trusting you," Liam elaborated. "If it was up to me-“

"I know," Theo said softly, a grim smile on his face. "Not your fault. Although if I were you, I wouldn’t trust me, either."

Now Liam looked frustrated. "I didn’t say-“

"I know," Theo repeated, his expression softening into something more fond. "Good night, Liam."

Liam huffed. "Night asshole."

After Liam had driven off, Brett turned to Theo, who was already back in the kitchen finishing his tea. "You’re so gone for him," he said, but there was no teasing in his voice.

"I can’t hear you, Brett, the tea is too loud," Theo replied, not even looking back at the other teen.

Brett just shook his head and sighed. "You’re impossible sometimes."

"You love me."

"You bet your ass I do. Now hurry up and finish - I want to watch the next episode of Doctor Who."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two are insufferable. You figure out which ones I’m talking about. I hope you guys enjoyed! Thanks so much for reading and as always, feel free to let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo isn't having a good day. Probably. There are people to help him feel better. Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh it's been so long since I posted a chapter. I'm sorry for the delay! Please enjoy!

By the time Sunday rolled around, Theo was feeling better about the impromptu barbecue. He and Brett managed to get two decent-sized deer on Saturday during their hunt, and Lori had gone to the store early that morning and gotten everything they’d need for a family dinner. Theo did a double take when he saw several six-packs in the grocery bags.  
"How the hell did you manage to get those?" he demanded. "You’re like, twelve."

Lori gave him a look. "First of all, I’m sixteen, you should know that by now. Second, Parrish bought them. He’s coming over, too, so he can keep an eye on all of us."

Theo glanced at the alcohol dubiously. "He knows we can’t get drunk, right?"

"Mason and Nolan can, since they’re human. Well," Lori wrinkled her nose. "Sort of. Still, they can get drunk, so it’s only logical that we have a Deputy around to supervise us. Parrish agrees."

Theo sighed and shook his head, but his brain did a sudden backtrack. "Wait, what do you mean, 'sort of'?"

Lori's eyes widened and Theo heard her heart skip a beat. She opened her mouth to say something, probably some sort of half-assed excuse, but Brett's voice cut her off. "Yo, Raeken, come help me clean up a little!" he called from the living room.

Theo gave Lori a look that said "this conversation isn’t over" and went to help Brett. "I clean for a living, I shouldn’t be forced to do it here too," he groused, but grabbed the duster Brett was holding out to him.

Brett winked at him and went back to gathering up all the trash. There wasn’t a lot, since the three of them were relatively clean people, but it was enough to keep him busy for a minute while Theo dusted the flat surfaces. "You know, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if you decided to stay in your room the whole time they’re here."

Theo looked up to see Brett watching him with an odd look on his face. "I thought you wanted me to socialize," he said. "Isn’t that why you invited them over?"

"No, I invited them over because they’re my friends and I wanted to spend time with them," Brett said, rolling his eyes. "I’m not your parent, I can’t force you to do anything. If you want to run and hide, I won’t stop you. I think Liam really wants to see you, though."

The painful tightness that struck Theo's chest when Liam's name was mentioned reappeared with a vigor, and he grimaced at the flood of unknown feelings that crashed into him. "I promise you, he doesn’t. He’s just being a good beta and making sure I don’t do anything that will piss off his Alpha."

"That’s not true and you know it," Brett said frustratedly, but he kept his voice at a normal volume. Theo had learned in the nearly two months he’d been living with them that Brett and Lori didn’t like to raise their voices. "And you’re an idiot if you think that."

"No, I’m being realistic," Theo shot back. "Think about it, for one second, will you? I killed Scott - but I tried to make Liam do it first. There’s no coming back from that, and we both know it. Everyone knows it. So just drop it, okay?"

"What about Gabe?"

Theo didn’t mean to punch Brett, but he couldn’t deny that it felt really good. Because it was so sudden, Brett stumbled and fell, holding his bleeding nose with a wince. Theo immediately felt bad and wanted to go help him up, but he was still burning with anger and pain.

“Better?” Brett asked, wiping his nose on his sleeve. The bone was already healed.

“You don’t know me,” Theo snarled. “Stop pretending you do.”

“Guys!”

Theo and Brett turned to face Lori, who looked angry and a little scared. Theo took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. “I’m going for a run,” he said, leaving no room for argument as he started for the back door.

Brett and Lori didn’t try to stop him.

~~~~~~~~~~

There was a bite in the air as Theo ran, the wind whipping through his fur and stinging his eyes. He ran until his paws were bleeding and his lungs burned with lack of oxygen, then he ran some more. By the time he stopped running, the sun was high in the sky and his stomach rumbled the way it normally did around lunch time. He slowed his pace to a trot, then a walk. He went a little further until he came to a clearing with a stream running through it.

Theo moved forward and drank from the stream, then plopped down in the soft grass and rolled onto his side. He lay there until his breathing evened out, then closed his eyes under the sun. The weather was starting to warm up, and while Theo preferred the cold, he couldn’t honestly say he didn’t miss laying in the sun and basking in its warmth.

The heat from the sun and the cool ground underneath him and the sound of the running water put Theo in a hypnotic state, and the next thing he knew, he was jolting awake at the sound of a branch snapping. He rose to his feet and looked around, relaxing when he saw a bunny dart across the clearing. The sunlight shining through the trees had turned a golden color, meaning it was afternoon and the barbecue would be starting soon.

Theo still felt a gaping hole in his chest, but it wasn’t as raw as before. Deciding he could probably stand to socialize with someone other than Brett and Lori for a change, he started making his way back towards the cabin.

By the time he got there, Theo heard voices coming from the backyard. He didn’t want to face Brett - or any of the others for that matter - but he couldn’t get into the house unless someone let him in. Lori had joked about getting a doggy door for him and Brett, but now Theo was actually considering the idea.

Taking a deep breath, as if to literally suck up his pride, Theo padded around to the back of the house so someone could let him in.

Conversation stopped once Theo rounded the corner. All eyes were on him, and if Theo were in human form, he knew his face would be red with embarrassment. Ducking his head, Theo walked slowly to the sliding glass door on the patio and scratched at it once. Nolan was the first to move, standing from the patio chair he was sitting in and going to open the door. Theo looked up at him and tried to convey his thanks with his eyes. The corner of Nolan’s mouth quirked in a half smile and he reached over, hesitantly scratching Theo behind the ears.

Theo’s tail wagged of its own accord, but he ducked away from Nolan’s hand before anyone could notice. Nolan retracted like he’d been burned and stepped aside so Theo could get inside.

Once he was in his room, Theo shifted back to a human and sat on his bed, trying to clear his thoughts. He’d never let someone touch him while he was in wolf form before, and Nolan was nearly a complete stranger. He should have growled and snapped, but instead… he welcomed the touch. It felt nice.

Theo ran his fingers through his hair, frowning when he felt a few leaves and small twigs. Maybe he needed a shower. He smelled his arm, and winced. Yeah, he definitely needed a shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it. The next chapter will be about the barbecue, don't worry. Fluff is on its way, my children, fear not! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks so much for reading and feel free to let me know what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> So what did you think? Should I keep going? Is it terrible and I should delete it as soon as possible? Let me know! Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed!


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